1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to identification systems. More particularly, it relates to a children identification system that utilizes interactive smartcard technology and provides the cardholder with corporate discounts at participating stores.
2. The Prior Art
In emergency situations involving children, often times the people reacting to the emergency have insufficient information about the child. The kind of information sought in these situations would be any pertinent medical information for the individual, the child's home address and parents names and numbers, and any other medical or personal information deemed important for purposes of treating this individual.
Many systems have been employed in an effort to provide identification. Among the more well known of these devices is a medical Smartcard.TM.. Generally, medical smartcards do not contain other personal information about the individual and are not used for children.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,229 discloses a user wearable personal/medical information device. The device is a bracelet worn on the wrist and contains a ROM (read only memory) for medical information and RAM for personal information. A switch is included for displaying the stored information on a display contained on the wristband. This system provides information about the child, but requires the device to be worn on the users wrist, and does not enable the user to update the medical information stored in the ROM. The user is required to have an additional keyboard control device that is plugged into the wristband in order to update the read/write memory (RAM).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,136 discloses an identification tag. The identification tag is designed to be disposed inside the shoe of the person. The ID tag provides medical information about the wearer in the case of an emergency. This device is simply a paper record of a persons medical information attached to the inside of the user's shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,600 discloses a personal identification label. The invention discloses an iron-on type patch for childrens clothing that contains a space for receiving the child's fingerprint. The design of the patch is such that the child's fingerprint becomes part of the design, and is camouflaged within the same. The label or patch can be attached to any article of clothing or toy of the child by ironing, sewing, gluing, or any other suitable known means for substantially permanently attaching the label. There is no medical or personal information contained within the label. A special fingerprint recording medium is used on the label in order to assure the permanent disposition of the same.